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Thursday, November 11, 2010

Raktha Charitra-Celebrates the purest emotion known to mankind

I have spent the past ten minutes pondering over how to analyse one of the goriest movies to have ever been made, justified gore I should say! The movie's tagline says it all. RGV cannot be blamed for choosing that famous title of his. The movie is just that- a bloody tale of reprisal and retribution. It’s a lucid warning- it’s definitely not for the faint-hearted and the weak. The movie is all about blood splutter and splatter. A tale of how the first leads to the second. A tale of manipulation, blackmail, loyalty and absence of the same.

The movie starts on a chaotic and a rather comical note. One of the first slides to appear onscreen after the acknowledgements is a note stating that all characters portrayed in the move are fictitious and that, any resemblance to real-life characters is purely coincidental. The next note that flashes onscreen baffles us with a completely contradictory message- based on a true story. The second one is true, the director being the sole proprietor of the knowledge about the reason behind the addition of the first! The film narrates the story of dreadfully angry men who fought with staggering levels of animosity in their blood. The story of men who knew nothing but the ethereal ecstasy that arises out of feeling blood.

The film’s theme is striking and uniform. Every technical aspect, every move and action of every single soul behind the making of this bloody classic seems to have been bent upon celebrating the most spontaneous and purest emotion ever known to mankind- revenge. Any mild deviation from this sole aim of the passionate filmmaker that RGV is, any slight digression from this universal motive, is mercilessly followed up by an extra-passionate scene that re-ascertains the code of the movie. It’s this consistency and passion, the guts and raw treatment that keep us on the edge of the seat. On the outset this may seem to be a mindless unveiling of one bleeding corpse after another, an illogical display of hardhearted killing but only a discerning viewer will be able to appreciate the method behind the mayhem.

A few delicate scenes involving intricate emotions, which may have been indifferently picturised by lesser talent, find solace in the able hands of RGV. The scene in which Aashish Vidyarthy is killed is a case in point. The last minutes of a man’s life, which display the true traits and inherent fear, the few moments that kill the ego persistent in man, have been relentlessly portrayed. The ways Aashish begs in front of the portrait of lord Shiva, who’s happens to be lord of destruction and helplessly goes down the drain henceforth after being ruthlessly slain evokes an inexplicable emotion; an emotion that’ll never be fathomed by the inferior world of words.

The climax scene has been beautifully picturised- the traits of the diverse characters involved have been unimaginably projected, with minimal dialogue. The desperation shown by the Vivek Oberoi gang is showcased by the evident spring in their steps. The director gives us a ” can’t believe myself” moment when he evokes a rare smile on our face as a gang member kicks a football back to a boy on return after the mission. The impossibly natural veil of vengeance sported by a victim of the villain’s sinister activities leaves the audience stunned. The suddenness and rapid turn of events are the film’s biggest plus- the shootout at Kota’s house and Ashwini’s execution are stellar examples.

The film boasts of a powerhouse of acting talent and not a single soul disappoints- Vivek, a thoroughly under-rated actor and Abhimanyu Singh, deserve special mention for their noteworthy performances. The director has also got the best out of Kota Srinivas, Kitty, Shatruhan Sinha, Radhika Apte and Ashwini. Radhika Apte who plays Vivek’s love interest looks gorgeous. The team will have the supremely talented Suriya and the gifted Priyamani in their ranks in their next venture, the sequel. Logically speaking; it can’t get worse, both acting wise and script-wise, as Suriya is known for being choosy.

The BGM is quite impressive and the music directors have come up with quite a good album too. The director has strategically steered clear of any distraction in the form of songs. The one striking highlight in musical score is the use of silence- the scene where Kitty is killed by Vivek stands out for the haunting silence. After a brief pause, the composers stroll into a musical landscape again thus creating a beautiful impact. The cinematographer deliberately buries himself into the blood-filled air in this movie. The torrid terrains with unlimited open spaces and never ending, ugly barren lands festooned with pools of blood have been cunningly canned to create the desired impact. Dialogues spine the movie and the screenplay is taut and racy. The director slyly employs a deceitful screenplay that hides the lack of depth in the script. Crisp editing works wonders for the movie.

If you are a fan of hardcore action, go for this one. It is sure to ruffle up your feathers. You will come out of the theatre with high adrenalin levels and desire of wanting to punch someone then and there. Rabble-rousing stuff! A truly extravagant celebration of the emotion termed vengeance!